Tag: Player of the Week

Alontae Taylor snubbed for Defensive Player of Week 1 recognition

Alontae Taylor was snubbed for the NFC Defensive Player of Week 1 award. Not everyone gets a Will Levis pick-six thrown right to them:

Credit where it’s due: Tyrique Stevenson made a big play when the ball was thrown to him. The Chicago Bears defensive back intercepted Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis and scored a game-changing touchdown on the return that left the second-year passer falling to his knees with his helmet in his hands in disbelief.

But come on. Anyone can intercept Levis. New Orleans Saints nickel Alontae Taylor was the first defensive back to record three sacks in a single game in team history. It’s just the thirteenth time in NFL history that a cornerback or safety has done that. But it was Stevenson recognized as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 1.

Look a little deeper. Pro Football Focus charting found that Taylor was targeted 4 times against the Carolina Panthers, but he yielded just 35 yards and a single first down on 2 receptions, with a pass breakup. Stevenson was targeted 9 times and allowed 3 catches for 42 yards, each reception converting a first down, including a touchdown. He also had a pass breakup and that pick-six. In the official NFL gamebook, Taylor was credited with 5 tackles plus an 1 assist. Stevenson had 2 tackles and as many assists.

Both players enjoyed strong performances. But only one of them made history. Taylor will just have to wait for his recognition another day.

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Two Tar Heels ACC Player of the Week honors

UNC football stars Noah Burnette and Jahvaree Ritzie were rewarded for Thursday night’s performances.

The North Carolina Tar Heels gutted out a 19-17 win against Minnesota last Thursday, securing a much-needed victory in its season-opener that was highlighted by a clear kicking advantage and much-improved defense.

There were four separate lead changes, with UNC taking the last lead on star kicker Noah Burnette’s fourth and final field goal try. North Carolina’s defense, which played well for most of the night, relapsed into 2023 form by allowing the Golden Gophers to set up a game-winning field goal try.

There were a few Tar Heels who stood out Thursday night: not just on the team, but in the entire ACC.

Jahvaree Ritzie, who showcased his ability as one of the country’s premier defensive tackles with a 3-sack, 3-TFL outing and Burnette, who converted his lone extra point and all of his four field goal attempts, earned ACC Player of the Week honors.

Minnesota likely scores more points without Ritzie’s impact, plus UNC only scores six points without Burnette’s leg.

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Burnette showcased how special he was in 2023, converting 60-of-61 kicks into points. Ritzie was good in each of his first three seasons at North Carolina, but last Thursday showed he can be a much-needed star and X-factor in Tar Heel victories.

Will Burnette and Ritzie continue to shine in this coming Saturday’s home opener against Charlotte?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Duke softball’s Claire Davidson named D1Softball’s National Player of the Week

Senior Claire Davidson batted in 10 runs in three games against Clemson, earning her D1Softball’s National Player of the Week honors.

D1Softball named Duke’s Claire Davidson its National Player of the Week on Tuesday.

The senior’s recent form came to a head against the Clemson Tigers over the weekend when she recorded five hits, including a pair of 3-run homers, in three games. She added two doubles in the Sunday finale, helping the Ble Devils clinch the sweep, and batted in 10 runs across the series.

Duke softball has played 12 games since March 28. In that time frame, Davidson has batted 0.552 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs.

Here surge has her on the doorstep of some program records as she has 15 home runs (four short of the single-season mark) and 56 RBIs (already tied for the school record) with nine games left in the regular season.

This is the second time a Blue Devil earned national honors after second baseman Aminah Vega was named the NCAA Player of the Week for her performances against Virginia Tech last month.

Davidson’s chase for Duke history continues with a Wednesday road game against UNC Greensboro.

Kristaps Porzingis helped the Boston Celtics make NBA history with his Player of the Week nod

The fourth such honor of KP’s career in the league and his first with Boston, it was also the fourth such honor for a Celtics player.

It is not every week that you tend to find star Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis helping the Celtics to make NBA history. But it did happen this week, as the Latvian center was awarded the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the penultimate week of the 2023-24 NBA regular season calendar.

The fourth such honor of KP’s career in the league and his first with Boston, it was also the fourth such honor for a Celtics player (with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White getting the nod before Porzingis) this season, the most ever for one team in one season.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took a closer look at the achievement for KP on a recent episode. Check it out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis wins Eastern Conference Player of the Week

This achievement is a record, with Boston now the 1st team in NBA history to have 4 players win Player of the Week honors in the same season.

The NBA has named star Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the penultimate week of the 2023-24 league calendar. Per the Association, Porzingis will join former Boston and current Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving in being so honored this week, with Irving getting the Western Conference Player of the Week award today.

Other players in the East who were in the mix for the honor include the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Halliburton.

The Latvian big man becomes the fourth Celtics player to be so honored this season, along with Derrick White (March 25), Jaylen Brown (March 4), and Jayson Tatum (Nov. 6).

This achievement is a league record, with Boston becoming the first team in NBA history to have four players garner Player of the Week honors in the same season.

For Porzingis, it is the fourth such honor of his career, and the first with the Celtics.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics’ Jaylen Brown named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after historic Dubs beatdown

Scoring 19 points in just one quarter on your way to power a historic beatdown of one of the hottest teams in the NBA can really get you noticed.

Scoring 19 points in just one quarter on your way to power a historic beatdown of one of the hottest teams in the NBA can really get you noticed, it seems. Star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after a blistering offensive performance against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon.

Brown, who would ultimately put up a game-high 29 points in the historic beatdown, earned his fourth-ever such honor with the nod, and his first since March of last season. His counterpart for the Western Conference Player of the Week is LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Other East players getting votes included the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia 76ers Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley, and fellow star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors

#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his six field goal performance against the Bengals.

The Kansas City Chiefs relied on kicker Harrison Butker to score the majority of their points in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and his stellar six-for-six showing against the team’s bitter AFC rival earned him Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Butker accounted for 19 of Kansas City’s 25 points in an effort that helped secure the Chiefs their tenth win of the 2023 season. The veteran kicker started his season with an impressive streak of 23 consecutive three-point attempts made before faltering against the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders in Weeks 15 and 16 respectively, when he missed one attempt in each game.

His bounce-back showing against Cincinnati should have Butker back on track ahead of the playoffs and could be a good indicator that the Chiefs’ golden leg is back to his old ways.

Expect Butker to get another workout against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18 if Andy Reid elects to rest Kansas City’s starters,

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins Dec. 25 to Dec. 31 Western Conference Player of the Week

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins Dec. 25 to Dec. 31 Western Conference Player of the Week.

The NBA announced Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the winner of the Western Conference Player of the Week award for Dec. 25-31.

The 25-year-old led OKC to a 4-0 record with impressive wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. He had an 18.5 net rating during the week, per the Thunder.

During the four games, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.5 points, 6.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

Gilgeous-Alexander had been nominated for the award several times this season. The All-NBA guard has been one of the best players this season, averaging 31.2 points on 54.6% shooting, 6.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds.

The Thunder (22-9) have been one of the best teams in the league with Gilgeous-Alexander headlining their roster.

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Trevor Lawrence named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Trevor Lawrence earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for a 4-touchdown day against the Titans, just like last year.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his four-touchdown performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 11, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Lawrence completed 24 of his 32 passes for 262 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to Calvin Ridley. He also added 17 rushing yards and a ran in a pair of touchdowns on his own. Lawrence became the first Jaguars quarterback to ever record two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a game.

The Jaguars’ third-year quarterback earned the honor twice last season, including once for a game against the Titans that he finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

Prior to Lawrence winning the award for a Week 3 performance last season, no Jaguars player had earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors since David Garrard in 2010.

Through 10 games this season, Lawrence has 2,382 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 92.2 passer rating.

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Alperen Sengun nominated for Western Conference Player of the Week

After a 4-0 week for the Rockets, talented young center Alperen Sengun was nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun was nominated by the NBA for the Western Conference Player of the Week award for games played between Monday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 12.

The Rockets (6-3) went 4-0 over that span, and Sengun was a big reason. The crafty young big man, drafted in the 2021 first round, averaged 20.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6 assists and 29.8 minutes per game — all while shooting 62.5% from the field.

During that span, Houston defeated the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and defending league champion Denver Nuggets by an average margin of victory of 16.3 points.

The West award went to Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, who averaged 31.3 points and 6.8 assists per game in a 4-0 week. Besides Sengun, other nominees were Denver’s Nikola Jokic; Portland’s Jerami Grant; Oklahoma City’s Shai-Gilgeous Alexander; Dallas’ Luka Doncic; and Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis and Cam Reddish.

The Eastern Conference award was won by reigning league MVP Joel Embiid. On the East side, other nominees were Miami’s Bam Adebayo; Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo; Cleveland’s Caris LeVert; Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey; Charlotte’s Mark Williams; and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner.

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